Rail Accident Investigation Branch Safety digest 13/2017: Broad Oak level crossingOn 29 June 2017, at about 10:20 hrs, a passenger train was approaching Canterbury West station, in the up direction, after passing signal EDH 91 displaying a green (proceed) aspect. As it approached Broad Oak level crossing at 70 mph (113 km/h), the train driver saw vehicles passing over the level crossing at a time when he expected the level crossing to be closed to road traffic. The driver then noticed that the level crossing’s barriers were raised, so he promptly made an emergency brake application and sounded the train’s horn for 6.5 seconds.At the time of the incident the level crossing was under the control of a Network Rail mobile operations manager. When he heard the approaching train he operated a switch to start the sequence to lower the barriers. The level crossing’s amber road traffic signals illuminated about three seconds before the train arrived and its red road traffic signals started to flash as the train arrived at the crossing while travelling at 17 mph (27 km/h).Road vehicles that were approaching the level crossing at the time also stopped. There was no collision, but the train driver was shaken by what had happened.

The signal approaching the crossing had not been set to red to protect work taking place on a track circuit between the signal and the crossing in accordance with Rule Book module TS9.